Good idea. Only thing is that is major pressure going both ways and IMO you would definetely need to bolt something to the floor. And NO WAY 2x4 rafters are gonna be strong enough. I can think of lots of ideas for a beam but it would probably be alot of work. You would need a support beam w/columns. Hope you figure somethin out.:thumbs_up

 

just a thought but could you fasten a ring to the floor beneath the deer then hook your Gabriell in the back legs. start to skin the back legs .fasten that skin to the ring then winch the deer up and skin as its going up insted of pulling down .

 

go to youtube and watch them skin deer with four wheelers or trucks. Ive helped a guy do it this way and it was easy.

 

we always use the four wheeler winch, works great

 

I haven't tried this but what if you used an engine hoist?
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-ton-capacity-foldable-shop-crane-93840.html
Bolt a hook or ring to one leg of the hoist and skin it like Steadfast described while hoisting it up. When it's hoisted all the way you'll have a skinned deer hanging. It's portable, no need to put a hook in the floor and no danger to your ceiling trusses.

 

They way we do it is to hang deer on a grambrel hooked to a winch with head down. The concrete slab has eye bolts buried in it. We hook golf balls under the skin around the hind legs. The golf balls are then tightened by eyes in rope hooked to the eye bolts in the slab. Hit the winch button and the skin peels off like a bananna.

 

Back in the 80's I worked in a slaughter house that used the same principle. Make a loop at the end of your cable, skin the hind legs down and open the skin up down the chest to thru the front legs. Attach the loop to the hide from the hind shanks and knot it up good so it won't release on it's own. As far as what you can use on the floor...... do you have anyplace you can set this up outside? If so, you use just about anything that has a little weight to it (old tractor weights)....or an old barbell set.
One thing to remember is, keep your knife handy while operating the winch, and go sssslllloooowwwww. When the hide acts like it's gonna tear, just tap at it with the knife. That will get it started again.
I used to love working the one at work. We had to pull 200-350 hides a day. We put them side by side and grabbed the hide from the left shank of one & the right shank on the other and pulled them off 2 at a time.